"We did a lot more racing up and down Woodward back then," said Birchmeier, 82, remembering that in 1951, he showed off his first car on Woodward, a 1939 Ford V8.

Teenagers had to watch out for the police, he said.

]]>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 22:46:38 -0400201708172246382017-08-17T22:46:38-04:002017-08-17T22:46:38-04:00With more than 1 million people and 40,000 classic cars converging on Oakland County cities from Ferndale to Pontiac for the Woodward Dream Cruise this weekend, local officials say it might be a good idea to pack some patience for the trip.

It will take some time to get from place to place. Parking will be in short supply, especially in cities like Royal Oak, Birmingham and Pontiac, which have live bands and other auxiliary attractions.

]]>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 18:38:29 -0400201708171838292017-08-17T18:38:29-04:002017-08-17T18:38:29-04:00The prospect of leaving a job to embark on a new chapter of your life may bring up feelings of excitement or anxiety or a mixture of both. Whether you are retiring or thinking about starting a business, there will be many important financial decisions to consider. Caution and preparation will help you sleep better and possibly avoid a devastating mistake.]]>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:04:00 -0400201708091616552017-08-17T17:04:00-04:002017-08-09T16:16:55-04:00I watched the news with profound sadness this weekend. It seems that the world my kids are striking out in will not be the better place I hoped for when they were born. Angry white faces lit by torches seized a campus, a town, and threatened peaceful gatherings, like a church full of people supporting a prominent black speaker.]]>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 16:55:00 -0400201708171521092017-08-17T16:55:00-04:002017-08-17T15:21:09-04:00A Rochester Hills man charged with hammering his roommate's cat to death will undergo a mental competency evaluation by the state's Center for Forensic Psychiatry, ordered by 52-3 District Court Judge Nancy Carniak.

David Yun Hu, 33, faces one count of animal cruelty, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.

]]>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 16:28:52 -0400201708171628522017-08-17T16:28:52-04:002017-08-17T16:28:52-04:00Album Of The Week: The Accidentals, "Odyssey" (Sony MasterWorks): The national debut album from the genre-defying Traverse City trio features guest appearances by Keller Williams, Kaki King, and members of the Decemberists, Carbon Leaf, Lily & Madeleine and Jack White's band.

 Album Title of the Week: Ray Wylie Hubbard, "Tell The Devil I'm Gettin' There As Fast As I Can" (Bordello)

In an interview with a liberal publication, The American Prospect, President Donald Trump's chief strategist said there's no military solution to the threat posed by North Korea. Just last week, Trump vowed to respond "with fire and fury" to North Korean aggression.

Photos from the scene show what appears to be a trailer hauling vehicles overturned on the left side of the ramp.

Drivers should use caution in the area.

The Oakland Press will update this story with more information.

]]>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 15:49:47 -0400201708171549502017-08-17T15:49:47-04:002017-08-17T15:49:50-04:00WASHINGTON - A government watchdog group sued Thursday to compel the Trump administration to release names of at least some visitors to the White House complex, as was done in the Obama era.

The lawsuit contends that the current administration had planned to be less open about visitor logs but was failing to abide by even that lower standard it had announced in April.

]]>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 04:53:00 -0400201708171530542017-08-17T04:53:00-04:002017-08-17T15:30:54-04:00The biggest fire in Ferndale's history destroyed six businesses in the downtown and blazed for more than six hours before it was fully extinguished with about 2 million gallons of water.

Ferndale novelist Donald Levin and Gary Taylor, the city's Historical Society president, will take listeners back to Sept.

]]>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 15:29:23 -0400201708171529232017-08-17T15:29:23-04:002017-08-17T15:29:23-04:00Congress is in recess, but Republicans are in hiding, apparently unsure how to answer questions about President Donald Trump's response to last weekend's violence in Charlottesville - and unwilling to try.

"We invited every single Republican senator on this program tonight - all 52," Chuck Todd said on MSNBC's "MTP Daily" on Wednesday.

"I'll tell you, we're spending a lot of money on the inner cities. We're fixing the inner cities. We're doing far more than anybody's done with respect to the inner cities. It's a priority for me. And it's very important."- President Trump, remarks during a news conference on infrastructure, Aug.